How to get a 10 month old to stop feeding in night?

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Hi just wondered if anyone had been through a similar thing and could offer a bit of advice? I would appreciate any tips.
I'm breastfeeding my 10 month old son. Went back to work in Jan, he was eating 3 meals a day and I was giving him Aptimol in cup for snack feeds at 10am and 3pm and then feeding him myself at 5pm, bedtime and morning. He was usually wakening up at about 2am for a short comfort feed, which I wasn't concerned about. Since he's been ill however (heavy cold, ear infection, going round in circles..), it's all gone to pot. Was off work and he was just having breast milk and really just wanted me for about a week. Since then, wants breast milk on demand really. Won't take much from a cup at nursery (although eats ok). We are due to leave him overnight for the first time in about 10 days. He now wakes at 11pm and wants a good feed and only from me. Debating whether to cancel my birthday night away as can't see how sister in law will be able to settle him...
Any ideas? Or experiences? My Mum has suggested getting him used to a bottle as it may be just the comfort of sucking he likes but he doesn't seem keen either and it seems a bit late at ten months as he's never had one before.
Sorry this is so long x

bump as we are exactly in the same position. Nightmare isn't it!

Hmm, I'm no expert but your mum may have a good idea there, it's the easiest way to get a bit of freedom. Try to replace certain feeds with a bottle of aptamil until he's used to the bottle then when that is thoroughly established for a few weeks gradually start to offer water when he wakes in the night for milk. He'll soon learn it's not worth waking up for.

It may help to get your partner to introduce the first few bottles as he won't be able to get distracted by the smell of breast milk.

Thanks Banana I will try the bottle (I must!) but it just seems a bit mean as he is so used to me for comfort. What happened with you Reallytired?

You've done so well to get to ten months though! And you don't have to cut out all his bf yet, you can pick and choose what's most convenient for both of you. Hope you don't have to cancel your birthday, that'd be a shame.

Thanks Banana, I want to stick to morning, tea and evening for as long as he wants really as he seems to need it a lot more than my daughter did?!

Ah well, boys do love a cuddle, I bet his enthusiasm is as much about snuggling up as it is about getting a feed!! You can still do that with a bottle though.

Er, I meant for the breastfeeds you want to drop - wasn't trying to get you to stop bf altogether obviously!

Ok banana, thanks. Just gets a bit messy when I am working two days. Boobs like missiles if I'm not careful. Thanks for your support x

It makes sense really. Milk is still the main part of their diet until 12 months and where they get the bulk of their calories from. My dd still fed on demand at that point (I wasn't working though so much easier I think) and had a couple of night feeds.

I did nothing, because I figured she knew what she needed. She also wanted only bmilk when ill and fed like a newborn when poorly which was hard work. She stopped the night feeds when she was ready. Just so you know that you don't have to actively do anything and it might sort itself out.

Can you have a trial run of your night away where you don't get up to him but with your dh doing the night feed from a bottle and any re-settling? Or is your SIL near or parents? They could have a go and see how it goes and you go and get him if it's too much and he won't settle?

And it's definitely not a boy/girl thing. My dd still likes a cuddle in the night and always has and she's a strapping big toddler now.

Thank you ShowofHands. SIL lives away but we are going to hers the night before night away. Will try and get him to take bottle tonight off DH, see what occurs..

My 7mo is similar, she seems to want to feed continuously at night. Am trying to substitute one of her feeds for a bottle of HIPP organic milk, she has to be really hungry to go for it, but only takes about 90ml when she does it. Since then, she has upped the night feeds tremendously and it is slowly making me go bananas. I guess will just have to go with the flow, and although this is not great, would actually be glad if the bfs stopped tomorrow. My lo has just cut her bottom two teeth as well.

I'm in a similar position, but my ds2 is younger, only 6mo. But I'm dying for some proper sleep and want to give up bf so that I can have some more independence from him and spend more time with my ds1. I've managed to cut out most bfs during the day but he still wakes several times in the night and seems to need me to bf him back to sleep. Problem is that I usually then fall asleep in the nursing chair for a couple of hours, so he is getting into the habit of sleeping on my lap, and he wakes up about 30 mins later when I put him back in his cot.

Am thinking of trying a dummy as a last resort.

Also he has a cold at the mo and is just begging for the breast. Feel so mean refusing that I usually end up giving in.

Nice to know some others are in the same position. Any more of us out there?

My 9.5mo DTDs are still bf at night and I'm soooo tired...

At 7m I decided to give them a couple of months to improve their eating (they are BLW so they weren't eating very much then) but now we are a couple of months on and it's not really much better. It is, a bit, as the gaps are longer most of the time but about half of the nights are awful. Each time I decide I have to night wean them, we'll have a good night (night before last DT1 went from 7pm to 3am, fed and then slept until 6.30am) and I think they will make it on their own, but then we go backwards again!

I do think that some of their 'feeds' are for comfort now, but some still seem to be realy good feeds and so I'm really confused about what to do.